It's Been a Long Time Coming
by OhLookAnApocalypse
Summary: It's been too long since they've been together. They have unfinished business that has been put on the shelf too many times. He's been waiting for a moment like this to come up for a while. I've found a new love for Dick and Babs. They are just fantastic. Stay posted! There's more to come!
1. Chapter 1: Dick

Yesterday was a long, but successful day. With the fight at the Reach/Light summit, to getting Artemis and Kaldur back, it was a general success. Even if Kaldur wasn't so sure. Once Kaldur was put back in charge, which Dick was all too happy to let happen, he let the team have a day off. Which was nice of him but Dick didn't really know what to do with himself if he wasn't putting together something for the team to do.

So, he was just in the make-shift 'cave,' talking with Kaldur about everything and nothing when Barbara comes in with her mask off but costume still on. He looks up at her as she walks over to the table and stands next to him.

"Hey, are you not coming with us tonight?" She looks at him confused.

He doesn't understand why she looks so confused when he has no idea what she is talking about. "Um, coming with who and where?"

Babs just rolls her eyes and lets out a huff. "Tim didn't mention it to you did he? That Bruce wants us to all sit down and have dinner tonight at his place?" Dick just shakes his head at her. She turns to the hallway where she came from "Tim! You didn't mention it to him?!"

Like he was just waiting there in the hallway he walks out and responds, "I was going to. Seriously Babs, you have no faith in me." He turns to Dick and Kaldur, shrugs and mouths _women._ And with that Babs swats the back of his head. Both Dick and Kaldur laugh. "So, will you be joining us then?" Tim asks.

Dick looks at them both, "Well why not. It's been a while since we've done anything as a Bat family." Tim looks pleased and Babs smiles at him.

"Perfect." She says.

* * *

Dick is back in his old room at Bruce's place changing for supper. When Bruce has sit-down dinners with the whole family it tends to be more of a semi-formal thing.

_I guess the Batman doesn't know how to do things casually._

He's looking at himself in the mirror. It's amazing how much he's changed since being under Bruce's' wing. And not just physically. Although, that was a great bonus. A knock on his door shakes him from his thoughts.

He opens his door to see Alfred standing there, "Supper will soon be ready master Richard."

"Thanks for the heads up Alfred." The butler just nods as he turns to walk away. "Hey Alfred?"

Alfred turns and faces him again. "Yes, master Richard?"

Dick puts his hand on the old butler's shoulder and squeezes it a little. "It's been too long old friend." Dick notices Alfreds mouth turn up a little at the corners.

"Yes, it's been too long." He brings his hand up and pats Dicks hand before walking back down the hallway, calling behind him, "10 minutes until supper."

Dick just laughs and goes back into his room to get dressed for supper. He slips on a pair of black dress pants, puts on a button up blue shirt and finishes off his look with a matching black dinner jacket. If it was a more formal event he'd go for a bow tie but he figures that this dinner isn't _that_ formal.

Just before he leaves his room he runs some product through his hair to give it some shape. It feels good and different to be in normal clothes. He's spent so much time in his uniform for the last little bit that it just felt natural to him. And with one last look at himself he walks out of his room and to the dining hall for supper.

When he gets in the room, Bruce is sitting at the head of the table, with Tim two seats down form him. Obviously leaving a chair for Dick between the two. He notices that Babs isn't here yet. He makes his way to his seat and the table, interrupting Tim and Bruce's' conversation about Tim being on the team.

"Sorry to interrupt," he says Alfred pours some water into the glass sitting on the table in front of him. "Thanks man."

Bruce looks at him, "Not a problem. Tim was just updating me on all the highlights of your previous mission. It sounds like it was successful."

Dick takes a sip from his water and nods. "It really was. It was a great night." He looks at Tim as he says this. Tim says something to Bruce but Dick doesn't hear it because Babs has entered the room. She walks in from the back and sits down across from him, next to Bruce on the other side of the table. She smiles up at Alfred as he pours her some water.

Dick feels like he's frozen and can't move or speak. He's too busy watching her, looking at her. She has a knee length dress on that is the most flattering shade of green he has ever seen on a woman. The dress is tight on her upper torso but then flares out around her waist. Her red hair is big and curly, just the way he likes it. And it's pinned back to one side.

He has to stop himself from smiling at the pin. A couple of years ago she was complaining about how her hair would never stay in one place so he got her that silver pin for her birthday. And here she is today, still using it.

It must've become obvious that he was staring at her because Tim shoves his elbow into Dicks arm. He can hear a slight snicker come from the kid when Dick shakes his head slightly.

Tim leans over to him and whispers, "Drool much?"

Dick glares at him, "Shut up." He looks back at Babs quickly; luckily she didn't seem to notice his staring because she's still talking to Bruce. Before he has a chance to look away they make eye contact and she smiles at him. He smiles back at her and gets the aching feeling in his stomach that he only gets when Babs smiles at him like that.

After Alfred has served all their food and sat down next to Babs they start the meal. It feels good to be sitting down at this table with these four people. It's been so long since he's had an actual meal like this. It would probably feel more normal if they were in casual clothes.

They spend a good part of the meal getting Bruce all caught up on the team's adventures lately. After dessert, Bruce announces that he has a meeting to go to. Normally Dick would question Bruce when he claims he has a 'meeting' to go to but he's so relaxed and glad to be doing something normal for once that he doesn't bother to figure out what's going on. He just lets it happen.

After Bruce leaves, Dick, Babs and Tim help Alfred in the kitchen, much to Alfred's dismay. Alfred is the kind of man to do things his own way. Dick can't help but laugh at Babs elbow deep in soapy water while still wearing her dress and heels. She catches him and flicks water his way. Tim laughs at them and Alfred smiles slightly at the antics. Before long the three of them are flicking one another with soapy dish water as Alfred cringes at the mess they make.

* * *

It had been a while since they finished cleaning and he hasn't noticed Babs around. Tim is in the lounge watching TV of course. When Dick asks Tim if he knows where Babs is, Tim just wiggles his eyebrows at him but tells him he doesn't know. Dick wanders around a little more, wondering if she went to bed early when he notices one of the balcony doors is open to the night sky.

He goes to close it when he notices Babs leaning on the railing looking up at the sky, with her back to him. He just stands there for a moment, watching her before he goes to stand next to her. She looks up at him startled, obviously not hearing him before. "Jeez, I didn't know you were there." She says to him.

Putting his hands up he says, "Sorry. I just assumed that you're hearing would be sharp since you're part of the Bat family. I guess you're not at my level." He leans back down on the railing, smirking. He can practically feel her eyes narrowing.

"Oh please. I could sooooo take you." She rolls her eyes as she swats his arm with her hand. They both laugh. Their laughter fades to silence as they both look out over the grounds. A few minutes go by without either of them saying anything.

Finally, Dick breaks the silence, "Dinner was a nice surprise. It was relaxing and just like old times."

"Yeah, it was great. I feel like I haven't seen you or Tim in so long. We'll, I've seen you but we haven't really spoken. Do you know what I mean?"

"I do know what you mean. Things have been a bit crazy lately." Another moment of silence between the two. "Oh, and you look fantastic tonight by the way."

She looks over at him and smiles, "Thank you."

"I especially like the hair pin." He says, winking at her slightly.

"Oh, you do, do you? An old friend gave it to me." They're facing one another now. He lifts his hand up slightly to touch the hair pin but pauses. After a second of questioning, he lifts his hand all the way to feel the smooth silver of the pin. Barbara just stares at him as Dick brings his eyes from the pin to meet her gaze. She inhales slightly.

"You know, whenever you did your hair like this it always drove me crazy."

She smirks at him, "I know. Why do you think I do it?" It's been too long since they've been together. They have unfinished business that has been put on the shelf too many times. He's been waiting for a moment like this to come up for a while. Dick brought both his hands up to hold her face in his hands. They lean into each other perfectly. Her arms instinctively wrap around his neck. Just as he's leaning down to kiss her, she leans up toward him.

At first, the kiss is tentative and soft. It's been a long time coming and he doesn't want to screw it up by being too intense with her. But after a moment he can't control himself any longer and he wraps his arms around her waist to pull her up to him. He needs her to be closer to him. As close as she can possibly get. They break apart a moment later and just stare at each other; both slightly out of breath. Barbara looks down at her feet and they both laugh as they realize her feet aren't touching the ground anymore.

He lowers her to the ground but doesn't let go of her. Wanting to feel her as long as possible. She smiles at him, "Well, that turned out well."

Dick lowers his face to meet hers so his forehead is pressed against hers. "I'd say so."

"I must admit, I was hoping the night would end up this way. I wasn't sure if it would, _but_ I was hoping."

He smiled at her. "Me too." And he kissed her again, lightly. He couldn't help but take note of her scent. _Cherries. Just like always. _Without meaning to, Dick says something that was always on his mind but didn't intend to share just yet. "I love you Barbara."

Barbara leans back from him just slightly, obviously taken aback by his statement. Just when Dick starts to get worried that he has freaked her out; a small smiles comes across her face and a few tears build up in the corner of her eyes.

"I love you too Dick." Dick has never felt more relieved and content in his entire life. He grabs her face and kisses her again. This time letting all the passion that's been building up inside him, finally come out. Barbara's hands come up to grab the back of his neck while his fingers play with her hair. A slight moan comes from the back of her throat and it triggers a moan from him too. He's just about to pull her closer when he hears a voice from the doorway.

They both turn to look at the person who had joined them on the balcony. It was Tim. _Of course. He has the worst timing. _"Oh come on you two. You're not the only ones in this place you know." Dick and Barbara just laugh at his expression of pure disgust. "I went looking for you when I saw that there was an Indiana Jones marathon on TV. But it looks like you've found other ways to pass the time.

Barbara steps back a bit. "Sounds great Tim, we'll be there in a few minutes." Tim just rolls his eyes and leaves again. "I'm going to get changed into something a little more movie-marathon-friendly." Barbara leans on her tip toes to kiss him again.

She turns to leave but he playfully tickles her sides. He laughs as she squeals and tries to get away but he grabs her hand and leans close to her ear. "It'd go a lot faster if I joined you." She just laughs, swats his arm and runs through the door.

"You'll have to try and catch me then!" He hears her yell as she runs away. Dick laughs and chases after her.

Now that's a challenge he'll accept.


	2. Chapter 2: Dick

It had been a few weeks since the dinner at Wayne matter. A few weeks since his life got so much better. A few weeks since he and Barbara had gotten together. And everything was going even better than he could have possibly imagined. He's never met anyone else who understands him more than Babs. He couldn't be happier. That was, until his life got shaken up a few days ago, by one single person.

He was at the watchtower getting some information from Batman. When someone he hadn't seen in a while walked into his life again. Zatanna. It had been a while since they spoke.

* * *

"_Oh, Dick. I didn't know you were going to be around today." Zatanna said as she stood there looking at him; obviously not sure as to what to do._

_Dick just shrugged "Just had to speak with Batman about a few things." He could feel the tension in the room. He didn't like it, Zatanna and him used to be so close. This wasn't normal. Neither of them spoke for a few moments when Zatanna stepped forward a few steps. So she was out of the doorway._

"_Dick, can we talk?"_

_Dick didn't think anything of it. It was _Zatanna_. They were once so close. And they did need to talk. "Sure."_

_They went to the nearest table and sat next to each other. Both sat, waiting for the other to speak. Finally, Zatanna took the plunge and started off._

"_We really need to get over this awkwardness. I mean, I know we had a fling and that was fun… but it shouldn't screw up our relationship right now. And why should it? We both knew nothing more was going to happen. Right?" Zatanna looks at him intently._

"_Exactly. I'm not even sure when this awkwardness started. It's really ridiculous. We're in the past. It's as simple as that."_

_Zatanna beamed at him. "Right! We can be friends who once had a fling and get over it. That happens all the time. Plus, I certainly don't regret it."_

_Dick smiled at her. He didn't regret it either. It's just a thing they used to do. No big deal. Plus, he had moved on. "well, I'm glad that's over. We don't see each other much, so when we do I don't want it to be uncomfortable."_

"_I'm so glad you feel that way. You're important to me, Dick. Friends?" She sticks out her hand for him to shake, which he does. They laugh at foolish they were being._

_Dick stands up, "I better get back to work then. It was good talking to you Z."_

_Zatanna stands up after him. "It really was D" She smiles as he turns away, about to leave. "Wait! No good bye hug?" He laughs and turns around to hug her. When he starts to pull away she looks up at him just like she used to. And before he knows it Zatanna is leaning up to kiss him, and she does. Without thinking about it, Dick sinks into it. She tastes just like he remembers. They stand there for a few seconds before Dick realizes what is happening and pushes her away in a panic._

_Zatanna looks genuinely hurt when she asks, "What was that? What's wrong?"_

_Dick brings his hand up to his hair. "Oh god. Oh god."_

"_What? Dick, what is going on with you?"_

_Dick turns on her, furious. Furious at her and at himself. "I have a girlfriend Zatanna! A perfect girlfriend that makes me very happy. And I just let you kiss me!"_

_Zatanna opens her mouth, clearly shocked. "A girlfriend? Dick, I didn't know! I'm sorry but I was just going with the moment. I'm sorry! I didn't know you had a girlfriend… It's Barbara isn't it?"_

"_As a matter of fact, it is Barbara. And she's the best thing that has ever happened to me… Oh god. I have to get out of here." And without another word he ran out of the room with Zatanna calling after him._

* * *

Just thinking about it makes his stomach hurt. It's been two days and he hasn't told Barbara. He can barely look her in the eyes. It wouldn't nearly be as bad if it wasn't Zatanna. _God, of all people, Zatanna._

It's not that he was questioning his love for Barbara. He loved her. Zatana could never compete with her. Ever. He was really in love with Barbara and not even the great Zatanna could screw that up. All Zatanna ever was to him was a lust really. They would make out, spend the night together and hang out but it was never really an emotional thing.

Go back in time and get the heck out of there before running into her. At least not let her kiss him, or to go with it. He should've rejected her hug offer. Tell her he didn't have time. He should've done a lot of things differently. But he didn't. And now he's left with his regret and shame. He'd be lying to himself that he didn't enjoy the kiss while it was happening. After all, it was Zatanna and she had the kind of effect on him

He just wants to hold Barbara and ever think about it again. Make like it never happened. But he can't do that. He can't lie to her. That wouldn't make him feel any better and she deserves better than that. Much better.

Dick was walking around the gym at Wayne manner, working himself up. He had to clear his head, if only for a moment. So he worked himself to the bone. He exercised until his entire body ached.

The desired affect didn't last for long.

After the gym he got a shower and put on some sweats, just wandering around Wayne manner. He was trying to figure out a way to tell Barbara when he heard a voice from behind him. Babs was coming toward him, that beautiful smile on her face.

"I came here when I didn't find you at the apartment. Oh, I like this look on you." She said flirtatiously as she leaned on her tip toes to kiss him. He turned his face in time so she just grazed his check with her lips. She quickly backed away from him. Hurt written all over her face, and then, anger. "What the hell Dick? What' going on with you? Lately you'll barely look at me and you haven't touched me in a couple of days." The anger faded from her eyes as she asked, "Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?"

He grabbed her wrists in his hands, looking right at her. "No Barbara. You didn't do anything. You're prefect." He looked away quickly, letting go of her wrists.

"Then tell me what's going on Dick? You only ever call me by my full name when something is going on. So tell me. I can handle it! I'm worried about you." She put a hand on his elbow, which he quickly moved away from. More hurt on her face. It nearly killed him to see her this way.

"You're going to hate me."

She lowered her voice, "I could never in a million years hate you Dick."

He looks at her sadly. "I wouldn't say that just yet." He walks over to the couch and sits down, patting the spot next to him. Barbara goes to sit next to him. He takes his hands in hers, refusing it when he tries to escape her grasp. He sighs, "Alright, I'm just going to say this to you straight… The reason I've been so distance lately is that Zatanna and I kissed the other day. But you have to let me explain Babs!"

Her grip on his hands loosens and her breathing gets heavy. He doesn't think she's going to react until he sees the anger in her eyes. She looks away from him, standing up and then sitting back down. "You and Zatanna… kissed…"

"Please Babs, let me explain! We were just talking and then, I don't know, it just happened. She initiated it. I swear!" He was looking at her face, trying to gauge the emotions running across it.

"I believe that she initiated it. And you… you stopped her immediately, right?"

He doesn't say anything and the pain washes over her face instantly. "I am so incredibly sorry Babs. I'm not going to lie to you; I did go with it for a moment. But when I realized I pushed her away immediately and got the hell out of there! I swear Babs, it meant absolutely nothing. I don't want her. I only want you. It's always been you."

She's crying now, and yet she looks furious. "How could you Dick? And with Zatanna? Your old flame! God." She brings her hands up to her face. She truly looks pained.

"I didn't mean to! We were just talking and it all so happened so fast. She's a friend Babs. That's it! I love you. I love _you_. She was just a fling. What we have is so intense and I can't lose you. You can't imagine how sorry I am Babs. Please." That last word came out as a whimper. Dick realized how pathetic he must sound, but he didn't care. Just thinking about losing her made his stomach flip.

She was standing up, backing away from him. "Please? No Dick! You not only let another woman get you in a situation where she could kiss you but you went with it!" She was yelling at him now, her eyes filled with tears. "I've never been more hurt." She turned away from him, walking away. "I need to leave. I need to be alone for a little bit."

He was following her now, desperate. "Please don't go Babs. You have to know that it meant nothing, _she_ means nothing!" She stopped mid stride to turn to face him.

"Look, I just… I need to be left alone. Okay? Please? Just leave me alone." She barely whispered the last sentence. He doesn't go near her. He just watches her back as she walks away from him and out of the room. It feels like he's been standing there staring at the door for hours, days, months.

He hates himself, he can't let this, be the end of them. He needs her, more than he ever thought he could need anybody.


End file.
